Dying For Love
by Deboa
Summary: Zack Martin has had a lot of trouble keeping friends. Thankfully though, Zack finds a new person to enter his life who not only gives him love, but helps rekindle the relationships he once shared with the other people in his life.
1. Traumatizing Love

Chapter 1 – Traumatizing Love

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"Zack Martin, report to the front desk immediately!" a voice from the loudspeaker that was quite clearly Mr. Moseby's exclaimed.

"Ughhh not again" I thought to myself noticing my teacher, Ms. Tutweiler, point her hand toward the door as she stared at me. I got out of my seat and exited the room.

What could I have done this time? Let's see… maybe Mr. Moseby found out that I'm the one who put that snail in the salad bar last week. Or maybe he found out that I spit in the smoothie he bought this morning. Whatever the case may be, it's not like I haven't been in trouble before so I really shouldn't care. And besides, there is only one more month until I graduate from this school anyway.

After reaching the front desk of the ship, I get Mr. Moseby's attention by poking his shoulder. He looks up and sees that it is me. "Hey Mr. Moseby," I shout ecstatically. He brushes his shoulder and picks up his smoothie, taking a sip from it. I begin to chuckle as I recall spitting in it.

His eyes begin to arch downward as he replies, "Zack, how many times must I tell you to clean your room. You will be out of here in just a month's time and your room must be tidy when you depart for the incoming students." That wasn't exactly what I thought he would say to me, but I was pleasantly surprised that it was.

"Sure thing Mr. Moseby," I assure him as I wink and walk toward my room. I might as well take my time since I'm getting out of my Friday classes for this. Apparently cleaning up my room is more important to him than school. Ha! Way to teach me the priorities in life Mr. Moseby.

I open the door to my room to find my roommate, Luke, cleaning the room with the song "Retainer Baby by Little Little" at an obnoxiously loud volume playing. I quickly turn down the volume which gets his attention.

"Hey I was listening to that."

"Wow, you're actually cleaning?" I jokingly ask.

"Well Mr. Moseby said he'll be inspecting our room in an hour."

"At this rate you should be done by then. I'll go get us some snacks."

"Are you really getting snacks or just getting out of cleaning to go hang out on the Sky Deck?"

"Both"

"Okay then. Try to return as soon as possible."

"Do you want to go hang out with me on the Sky Deck after you wrap this whole cleaning thing up?"

"Sorry, but I want to pick up Cody from class."

"Oh..."

"Well, if you're going to bring us some snacks then could you please make it snappy? I have to leave soon."

"Sure thing," I reply as I shut the door behind me.

Just when I begin to walk down the hall, I hear him turn that song back on. Even though "Retainer Baby" sounds absolutely nothing like the Marcus I knew, it always reminds me of him.

Marcus was my old roommate. He was pretty cool, being a former musical artist and all. He was around for a year and a half and left once senior year had began. Apparently his record label wanted him back because of popular demand. Almost as soon as he left, Luke moved into my room. I kind of missed Marcus for the first few weeks, but now me and Luke are as close as friends could be.

We are known as the Prank Duo of the school. We get into so much trouble. From shooting spitballs at passengers, to just causing panic on the Sky Deck, we have become the closest friends on the boat.

Luke has long hair, about the same length as mine, except that it is brown while mine is blond. He's a bit taller than me and about equal when it comes to body build.

I also trust him with anything I keep inside, more so than I do with my own twin brother, Cody. Sure, I trust Cody with my life, but he's more of an emotional pushover and he doesn't quite relate to me as well as Luke does. It's because of Cody's over-paranoid personality that Luke hasn't really been in the pranking mood lately.

I'm still having some trouble digesting it myself, but Cody is far more than an influence on Luke. Then again, when two people are going out that tends to happen.

Yeah, you heard me. Cody and Luke are going out. They tried to hide it, but that just made it worse when I actually found out. It all started on one fine morning when I went to work particularly early because Luke was practically shoving me out the door. Since I had some time to kill and I'd forgotten my wallet, I thought I'd run back to get it. To my surprise though, as I open the door, I find Cody and Luke making out on my bed! I don't how their little party walked its way to my side of the room, but I'd rather not know.

You probably couldn't imagine how traumatizing it is to not only figure out that your brother and your best friend are both gay, but that they are also gay for each other all at the same time. I'm not quite sure how they hooked up, but that is the downside of not being in their shoes I suppose.

They have been dating for a little over a month now and ever since, I have been trying to get Luke to act like his old self, which has been a harder task than it sounds. I mean, ever since he started dating he's been around me a lot less. I kind of miss the old Luke. I just want my roommate to be my best friend, not Cody's boyfriend.

"AHHHHH! Don't..."

What was that? It sounded like a girl. Maybe she needs help. I guess I'll have to put the recollection of my memory on hold.

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_Thank you for reading the first chapter of my first story on here! I'm very happy to be here and I hope to here your opinion on this chapter so that I can improve as I continue this story!_


	2. Violet Love

Chapter 2 – Violet Love

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I rush as quickly as I can to the location the sound came from, which brings me to the girls' rooms. As I approach the crime scene, I find Violet, a girl who I've been keeping an eye on for a while now. From her beautiful long brunette hair to her high class position, she is the total package. To my surprise though, she is being pinned against the wall by Harvey. He is a particularly strong student on the ship so I usually avoid confronting him, but I have to help Violet before things get out of hand.

"STOP! PLEASE STOP," Violet muffles through Harvey's left hand which is covering her mouth. I search for the positioning of his right hand before going in for the kill, which I find creeping down her shirt.

Not allowing him to come in contact with her chest, I dart towards him. I am not sure what brought me to actually face Harvey like this, but I feel as if I could take down Harvey at this particular moment with ease. After all, I can't just leave her alone, so feeling overconfident is the next best thing.

"Get away from her!" I yell as I push Harvey to the wall. As his front half leaves the contact of Violet's skin, he quickly throws his hands over his crotch area, I'm guessing to cover his bulge.

Violet jumps behind me and I grab her hand as we begin to run. Harvey didn't even chase us. I guess he was embarrassed that I caught him with a quite evident hard on.

I take Violet to my room in complete silence. I drop her onto my bed and place my right hand on her left shoulder.

"Violet, are you okay? Did he hurt you? Did anything happen before I got there?"

Violet doesn't reply. She just looks next to me. I turn around to what she is looking at and find Luke standing next to me. I had completely forgotten that he was cleaning.

"So, what happened? Where's the snacks?"

I give Luke a gentle shove, signaling that he should back off for a minute. He stays silent for about ten seconds until I resume the conversation.

"Violet, it's okay. You can talk to me. Don't mind Luke. He's a close friend of mine and whatever you say will be completely confidential to us three."

Violet slowly looks up.

"Well, I was on my way to class when Harvey stopped me in the hallway. He asked me to go with him to Senior Prom next week, but I declined. He's a jerk and I didn't want to go with him. Then he said that if I don't go with him he'll have to show me what I'm missing. I ignored him and continued walking, but then he grab my hand and pulled me to the wall. I then began to scream and…"

"Oh, so that's the scream I heard."

"Yeah probably. Then he began feeling me for about a minute until I felt his hard poking at my stomach. That is when I yelled 'STOP' and then you came and well yeah…"

"Wow. You're really lucky Zack was being lazy and ditching our clean up time to get a snack. Otherwise, nobody would've been there to save you." Luke chimed in. I give him a second shove. "I'd better get going now to pick up Cody. Bye guys."

I was probably never so happy in my life to see Luke leave our room. Now of all times he decides to act like his old self? I just don't get it.

"Sorry about my friend's rudeness. Anyway, if you need someone to keep you safe, you've come to the right place. By any chance, since you declined Harvey's Prom invite, does that mean that you have a date already?"

"No. I've had a lot of guys ask me to the Prom, but they just didn't feel right."

"Would it be a waste of time for me to ask you to the prom?"

"I'll have to think about it. You did save me though, which gives you a competitive advantage."

"Well how about hanging out with me in the game room tonight? We don't even need to call it a date. Just a fun night out,"

I flash her a friendly wink.

"Sounds fine by me. But if it is a fun night out, then you should ask your friend Luke to come too."

"Ehhh he's all over my brother Cody lately. If he comes then my brother will end up coming too which will turn into a date as far as they're concerned."

Violets eyes light up, "Awww that's so sweet. Are they dating?"

Just as she asked the question, Luke and Cody walk into the room, holding hands. I guess that answers her question. I turn around to see her smiling with bright red cheeks. I guess she completely forgot about Harvey and the whole situation from before.

"Hey guys! Wanna come with me and Zack to the game room tonight? We're having a fun night out."

"I'd be glad to! How about you Cody?" asked Luke.

"I'll do whatever you want to do, Luke." Cody says with a smirk on his face. Luke then begins to move in for a kiss.

I try my best not to look at them kissing. It kind of grosses me out, and at the same time it pains me to see that they've found each other while I'm still trying to find my perfect match. It's especially shocking for me to see Cody in a relationship. I always pictured myself to be dating far before Cody. Not that I'm not happy for him or anything like that, it's just that I'm a bit jealous of him.

"You okay Zack?" Luke says after noticing my sad expression.

"Yeah, I'm fine." I say as I put on a smile.

"Well I'd better get back to my room to get ready for tonight. Let's meet up at 8:00." Violet says, happy as ever.

"Sure, I'd better hit the shower now then. Cody, hang out with Zack for a while until I'm ready." Luke says as he grabs his bath robe.

I continue to watch Violet leave, ignoring Luke's statement. After she exits, I turn around to see Cody blushing while Luke is playfully stripping.

"Come on Cody, we're leaving. Give Luke some privacy."

"Awww that's no fun Zack. We were getting to the best part." Luke says as he stretches out his boxers in Zack's direction.

I try my best not to smirk, but it's just so ridiculous I couldn't help myself.

"Get in your shower already."

"Fine. Later Cody," He says as he throws his dirty sock at me.

"You're lucky your boyfriend is here or you'd be in a world of hurt." I say to Luke in a sarcastic tone.

"Too bad I could overpower you any day," Luke says behind a laugh as he shuts the bathroom door behind himself.

I then turn back to Cody who is just staring at the ground. I then decide to break the silence.

"Why the long face Cody?"

"What are you talking about? I'm fine. I'm doing well and I have the best boyfriend in the whole world. Nothing is wrong."

"You're my brother. I can tell when something is wrong. You don't have to hide anything from me."

"Well... I was just thinking is all."

Wait a minute... Cody, my brother who I had always been jealous of is thinking about something that is making him upset? Could he be having a problem? With his perfect life? I doubt it.

* * *

_I think that this chapter is a bit more enjoyable than the first one! Thank you to all of my reviewers that gave me advice and I hope you will continue to do so! I will try to make the next chapter soon, but no promises._


	3. Tear Filled Love

Chapter 3 - Tear Filled Love

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"Cody please talk to me. What's wrong?"

I stare at him, hoping he will not keep secrets from me. Ever since Luke has entered his life I feel as if he is constantly just keeping things from me. We used to be best of friends that told each other everything, but I guess I was easily discarded by Cody now that Luke has fulfilled my role in his life.

"Please Cody…"

Cody then begins to lift his head up and begins to glare at me intensely. Is he mad at me? I've never seen act Cody like this before towards me, but I guess that's what happens when people aren't as close as they used to be.

"Fine! You really want to know what's wrong? Well here it is… you're what's wrong Zack! Ever since I started dating Luke you've been acting like you don't even know me anymore! Like I'm not even your brother! What do you want from me? Do you want to hang out with me and Luke? Or do you just want me out of the picture? Will that make you happy?"

I am not sure why, but for the first time in my life, I feel defeated by my brother Cody. Everything he is saying is kind of right. I do think he is a different person and I do want him and Luke to break up. I just want things to be back to the way they were.

I just put my head down and stay silent as tears begin to rush down Cody's face. My eyes begin to tear up, but I fight the tears from pouring out of my eyes. I can't cry. That would show Cody that I am willing to cooperate to the way things are right now. Crying would reveal a side of me that goes against everything I have set my mind to.

"You know what? I don't want to hang out with you tonight. Or ever! I'm done stressing my self out trying to please you," Cody screams as he stomps his way out the door.

All this time I thought that Cody was purposefully trying to take my friend away from me. I guess he wanted us all to hang out after all, but I was too blinded to see that. I want all of Luke's attention for myself.

I used to see Cody as a threat to our friendship. He was just trying to form a relationship of his own while intentionally adding stress to his life trying to please me. I guess I'm just a big jerk after all.

I stumble my way down the hallway with the tears that I refuse to release fogging up my vision. I make my way to the public bathroom to wash my eyes out since Luke is occupying our bathroom.

After I wash my eyes out, I look into the mirror to find my eyes are red, despite the fact that I never technically cried. Just great. I have a date with Violet in just an hour and my eyes are blood shot red.

I spend the next twenty minutes searching for Cody, but I cannot fine him. I search for him in his room, on the Sky Deck, and even in the bathroom. He is nowhere to be found.

Knowing that my date is in forty minutes, I am left with no choice but to make my way back to my room and get ready.

Even if Cody isn't present, I cannot waste the one date I managed to make with Violet. If I do not show up, I'm sure that she'll never want to speak to me again. Sorry Cody, but maintaining stable relationships comes before recovering broken ones.

As I enter my room, I find that it is empty. Luke must have finished getting ready and went out searching for us. Who am I kidding? He is searching for Cody, not the both of us.

I quickly throw myself together, leaving ten minutes to spare. Trying to forget about Cody, which is a harder task than it sounds, I dart to the game room.

Immediately as I enter, I find Luke playing Galaxy Raiders, which is my favorite game in the arcade.

"Hey buddy. Can I join?"

"Sure thing! But where are Cody and Violet? It's eight o'clock."

"Not sure where Violet is, but Cody said he isn't coming."

"Why? He sounded so happy about coming before."

He probably wasn't happy. He was just trying to let me have some fun with Luke. The poor guy…

Anyway, if I tell Luke the truth he will definitely leave. However, if I lie, then we can hang out like old times for a while. He will most likely discover the truth later, but that's a risk I'm willing to take.

"Maybe he went to find Violet. He's fine. I'm sure he wouldn't want you to worry about it."

"You're right. Guess for now it's just you and me like old times," Luke says, sounding excited about the thought of it.

"Yeah. And I'm gonna kick your butt in Galaxy Raiders just like old times too."

"Haha. You wish. Me and Cody have been practicing together and you don't stand a chance."

He was right about one thing. He did get a lot better at Galaxy Raiders. That being said, I still got beat him. What can I say? I'm the video game master.

"Wow. You did improve quite a bit. You must have forgotten how good I was after all this time though."

"Yeah. I guess I did... you know what? We should hang out more often. I forgot how exciting it used to be with just the two of us."

I then begin to stare at the ground. For some reason, when he said that, it made me think of Cody asking if I wanted him out of the picture. Regardless of what I truly want, I have to help my brother out. Even if it costs me my relationship with Luke, I have to help him.

"Luke, we have to talk. I agree that the past few minutes were an extremely fun reminder of how awesome our friendship used to be, but there is something I have to tell you."

"Sure thing Zack. What's up?"

I feel like I have created the perfect time to tell Luke the truth. If I get Luke to understand the situation, maybe he can help me save my relationship with Cody. And maybe I can have the long lost relationship with Luke that I have been dying for. Whatever the turnout may be, I feel extremely confident about telling Luke the truth.

"Well. Cody is having a bit of a…"

"Hey guys! I'm here!"

Oh no! That voice. It's Violet's voice. Now I can't tell Luke the truth or Violet will turn it against me. I'm so screwed. Acting natural is the only way out of this.

I begin to turn around to welcome her as best I could in such a panicked state.

"Hi Viol…"

To my surprise, there he is. Standing next to Violet is none other than my brother Cody. He actually came. Oh no! He will definitely tell Luke about the issues he has with me. Or worse, he might tell Violet as well. My only two friends left in the world will be gone as quickly as I had gotten them, all because of Cody.

I have to find a way out of this!

* * *

_Zack is obviously having a lot of trouble keeping his relationships all under control, but will he leave this "fun" night unharmed? Find out in Chapter 4! I'm not sure when I will find the time to write that chapter, but I'm hoping it will be out soon._

_Thank you for reading and please review this chapter so that I can get an idea what to change and what not to change for future chapters!  
_


	4. Painful Love

Chapter 4 – Painful Love

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"Hey Luke! Can we talk over there for a minute?" Cody says, before even greeting anyone.

Crap… I guess he's making his move faster than I thought he would. Would my own brother really ruin my life like this? I can't believe this is happening.

The next thing I know, I feel a hand grab mine. I look up to see that it's Violet's hand.

"Zack, since they're talking over there I thought now would be a good time to talk to you. Let's go to my room for a bit."

"Okay…"

She doesn't seem to really mind the fact that I am not acting as happy as I normally am.

As we enter her room, I find that it is extremely clean! There is not even one stain or piece of dust on the ground. How could she have not commented on how unclean my room was if hers is this clean? Oh, that's right. Luke cleaned it.

"Wow, your room looks great! Want to clean mine?"

"I pay someone to clean it. I guess that's an advantage to having extra money."

"Oh…"

"Anyway, I had a more specific purpose to asking you to come here."

"What is it?"

"I just wanted to ask you. Do you care about your brother?"

"Of course I do… why would you even ask that?"

Did Cody tell her as well? I guess I won't have a date for prom after all. She probably thinks I'm a big jerk now.

"Well it's just that you didn't want him to go to the game room, and I haven't seen the two of you speak one word to each other so far today."

"He's the one that doesn't want to speak with me. He has Luke to talk to now. Why does he need me?"

"You're his brother. Just because he found someone else who he is very close to doesn't change the fact that he loves you. He came crying to my room about two hours ago and he told me that he thinks you aren't acting the way that you used to with him."

"Wait a minute… he thinks that I've changed? This whole time I've been annoyed because Luke and Cody don't act the same toward me anymore. It's as if their relationship with one another filled the void that I once filled for each of them."

"I guess there have been misunderstandings on both sides of the story. Either way, you need to set things right with your brother or this problem can cause hatred between you, Cody, and Luke."

Wow… just a few minutes ago I was considering taking out my own brother. What's wrong with me? Well sitting around thinking about how much of a jerk I was won't fix anything.

"Thanks Violet. I'd better go talk to Cody now."

"Alright then! I'll meet you back there in about ten minutes. That should give you plenty of time."

I run as fast as I can back to the game room to make things right with Cody. Once again, I felt extremely confident that the situation will be resolved shortly.

As I enter the game room, I find Cody sitting on a bench next to the boy's bathroom. He must be waiting for Luke.

"Hey Cody…"

Cody looks up to see that it is me. He stands up and continues focusing on me.

"I'm sorry," we both say at the exact same time.

"Zack, I didn't mean to explode on you like that. I know that I don't spend as much time around you anymore because I am always with Luke and I understand that you want to hang out with me like we used to."

"And I'm sorry for being mad at you for spending less time with me since Luke is your new best friend now."

"Wait a minute, that's what all this is about? Zack, you're my brother and we'll always be best friends. However, eventually we will have to live without each other and I'm just trying to create my future with the love of my life."

"Yeah, I guess you're right. That doesn't mean that we can't hang out every now and then though… right?"

"Of course not. I would cry if I knew I would never be able to see you again."

"Dude, are you crying?"

"No…"

"Yes you are! I see the tears building up in your eyes."

"Oh Zack, I'm just so happy that we understand each other now."

Then Cody jumps on top of me to give me a big hug. Thank goodness the ship doesn't have that many young passengers aside from the students, because letting Cody cry on my shoulder is a little embarrassing if people are watching.

After about a minute of silence, and Cody's face in my shoulder, I feel a hand on my back. Violet is back, and with a nice smile across her face.

"You really like touching me, don't you Violet? First you grab my hand to get my attention and now my back."

Cody then picks his head up from my shoulder, leaving a damp spot on my shoulder.

"Oh, hey Violet."

"Is everyone here getting along well?"

"We sure are! Now it's time to have some fun." I say relieved that everything seems back to the way it was.

"Cody I'm ba… oh, Zack…" Luke says. I guess Luke thinks Cody and I are still mad at each other.

"It's fine Luke. We're back to being best friends again." Cody says, through his sniffling.

Luke then runs up to him and gives him a hug. I guess this was a very big deal to Cody. Probably bigger than it was to me. At least on a more internal level.

"Okay guys! Now that we are all friends again, can we please just have some fun? Tonight won't last forever you know." I say, eager to move on. Well, I'm all for fixing unresolved issues, but crying on and on about them after they have been resolved is a waste of time.

"He's right. Guess we should have fun while we can." Cody says while running towards Galaxy Raiders, I'm guessing because it is the only four player game in the game room.

"Haha. I won't lose this time. Zack you are so going down!"

"Ha, keep dreaming Luke."

The rest of the night was a lot of fun. I won all the games we played, except for one that I decided to sit out on. Since I was out, obviously Luke won. Violet seemed to be improving as the night went on. At the beginning she was basically tied with Cody. By the end of the night, however, she was beating Luke's scores and even getting extremely close to mine!

After about an hour of fun, Cody and Luke head back to my room while I walk Violet back to her room.

"So Violet, did you have fun tonight?"

"Of course I did. The beginning of the night didn't turn out exactly as expected, but by the end everyone was happy."

"You were really good at Galaxy Raiders too. You're a quick learner!"

"Thanks. Zack, tonight was great and uhhhh… I decided that I want to go to the prom with you!"

"Really? That's awesome! It's going to be so much fun."

"Hehehe… yeah."

I am so excited! Not only did I get my two best friends in the whole wide world back, but I am going to prom with Violet as well. One night can really change a lot.

We turn the corner to where Violet's room is to find Harvey, waiting in front of her room.

"Oh no! Harvey's there. Zack, I can't sleep in my room. Harvey is going to force his way into my room if I try to enter it."

What should I do? The odds are highly against me if we end up throwing fists, but all the teachers and adults are fast asleep so I can't get help. I guess I don't have much of a choice.

I pull on Violet's arm, bringing her with me as we approach her room. About halfway down the hallway, Harvey notices that we are moving toward him.

"You again! Why is your hand on my women?"

I quickly take my hand off of Violet's arm.

"Good. Now tell me. Where were you two?"

"It isn't your business Harvey. Now move!" Violet says with authority. She's acting even more brave than I am. I can't let her down now.

"Sure Violet. I'll move." Harvey says, with a huge grin across his face.

Harvey walks towards me. Even though I wanted to avoid it, I have the feeling that I know what's going to happen next.

* * *

_Will Zack be able to overpower Harvey? Read the next chapter to find out!_

_I hope that you enjoyed this chapter! There is more to come! _^_^_  
_


	5. Shattered Love

Chapter 5 – Shattered Love

* * *

*SLAM*

"Ahhhhh" I cry out, desperately in need of help.

After being thrown at Violet's door by Harvey, I begin to tumble to the ground.

"Ahhhhh my b-back… hurts…"

"How pathetic. You didn't even put up a fight." Harvey says as he presses his foot down on my stomach.

The pain becomes so intense that I can no longer yell. All of my energy has been used up.

"Get off of him Harvey. Please get off of him." Violet says as she begins pulling on Harvey while tears drip down her eyes.

"I am going to make sure that this kid can never see you again!" Harvey says continuing to grin.

"NOOOOO! STOP! PLEASE!"

I guess this is it. If I'm lucky enough to get out of this alive I will not be able to Violet again, that's for sure. Everything that I was looking forward to has just fallen to pieces all thanks to Harvey. From shattering my bones to shattering my dreams, Harvey has just ruined my life in its entirety.

My eyes begin to close as everything around me starts fading away. I guess this is what dying for love feels like.

Then, as everything is still fading around me, I feel Harvey's foot leave my chest. I begin to hear yelling from a voice that I haven't heard in the past few moments. It sounds familiar, but I am just too out of it to match the voice.

"… mess… them… mess… me" That's all I could understand in the state I am in. It's kind of frustrating to be the one lying down in need of help knowing that Violet might be in danger.

"GAHHH" I scream as Harvey thrusts his leg into my side. I must've gotten just enough energy from Harvey's foot leaving my stomach to let out a last scream.

And that was the nudge I need to become completely unconscious.

* * *

…

…. "ck" …

… "ack" …

… "Zack, are you okay?"

I begin to open my eyes slowly, to find myself lying down on what feels as if it is my own bed. I turn to the left and see Luke, smiling at me with a relieved expression. I then feel arms wrap around me from the right. I slowly turn my head to find Cody, clenching on to me with tears dripping down his eyes.

"Oh Zack, you're okay. Thank goodness."

"How did I get in here?"

"Don't worry about that. We'll let Violet tell you the details in the morning. It's 2:00 AM right now. Let's just make sure that you don't have any broken bones or anything and then we'll get to sleep for the night." Luke says, taking control of the situation.

"O-Okay…"

"Now… Honey, you're the smart one so do a body check on your brother if you'd please."

"Sure thing." Cody says as he wipes the tears out of his eyes.

"I heard from Violet that the majority of the assault on Zack included injuries on his chest and stomach area, so we'll have to remove that shirt and see if anything looks unnatural under there."

I slowly sit myself up and remove my shirt. I look down at my chest to find that it appears to look extremely red.

"Wow. Why is your chest so red?" Luke says, pointing out the obvious.

"It is probably just sore from all the pain that was inflicted upon it. It doesn't look as bad as it could have been. Now tell me if this hurts."

Cody begins to press on my chest.

"Not really. It hurts a little, but not too mu… OUCH!"

"It seems like the lower part of your stomach took quite a beating. It doesn't look too bad though. It'll probably take the longest to recover, but it isn't broken. Try not to eat that much and you should be fine."

"Is that all?" Luke asks.

"Nope. We have to check his back next. Violet said he was slammed against a door which could have hurt it."

"Ughhh hurry up." I say as I turn over.

Cody then begins pressing on various parts of my back, looking for reactions. As expected from me,, however, I didn't even feel the slightest bit of pain.

"Well it looks like it should hurt, but I guess the more severe pain on your abdominals and the adrenaline you must be feeling right now prevents any pan in your back."

"Alright then. Shouldn't you be heading back into your room?"

"Yeah… I guess I should. Bye Luke. Bye Zack. I hope you feel better in the morning."

Almost as soon as Cody leaves, Luke chimes in, as playful as ever.

"Wait a second. Cody forgot to inspect on more place." Luke says as he squeezes my butt.

Since it took me by surprise, my whole body begins to twitch.

"Awww, are you blushing?"

I don't know why, but whenever people ask me if I'm blushing I begin to blush.

"Haha. Don't make me tell Cody on you Luke."

"I was just being helpful is all. And by the way, your butt feels fine." Luke says with a playful wink.

"Better than Cody's?"

"The answer is whatever you want me to say."

"Oh please. Would you get to bed already."

"Fine. Nighty night party pooper."

* * *

Even though it feels a little awkward to see Cody's boyfriend being flirty with me, I know that it is only for fun. We used to always goof off like this, and tonight, starting from when I first entered the game room, felt like I was back with my old pal Luke.

Now that I think about it though, it should have been pretty obvious to me that Luke was gay from just the way he acted. He always made flirty jokes with me, to the point where I usually had to cut him off.

For example, a couple of months ago we were tanning out on the Sky Deck and he was drinking a smoothie. Next thing I know, he spills the smoothie, spilling a little on his arm and the rest on my pants. I jump out of my seat, kind of annoyed, watching him lick the smoothie that spilled on him off of his arm.

"Ughhh get this off of me." I say, annoyed as anyone would be if they got a smoothie spilled on them. The next thing I know, Luke is licking the smoothie off of my bare stomach! I don't know about you, but that sounds pretty gay to me.

Also, I think that Luke's first crush on a guy was on me. He probably gave up on me after I showed no signs of being gay to him. That's why I have to be cautious with him because if I make the wrong impression, he might dump Cody to run back to me.

I'm probably just being conceited, but I have to make sure that Cody still cares for me as he does now while me and Luke remain friends. Keeping relationships as complicated as mine stable is turning into quite a stressful job, but I think I'm handling my fragile life rather well at the moment.

*Snore*

Haha I guess Luke fell asleep. I guess I'd better stop thinking and get to sleep as well.

The first things I have to do in the morning though are figure out if Violet is okay, figure out what happened to Harvey, figure out how I got out of there alive, and figure out if talking to Violet and bringing her to prom are still options or if Harvey officially snapped my soon to be relationship in two.

* * *

_What exactly happened when Zack went unconscious? Find out next Chapter! ^_^_

_Thank you for reading this chapter and supporting my story! Please review this chapter so that I can know what to improve for next time._


	6. Humorous Love

Chapter 6 – Humorous Love

* * *

*Thump*

…

"Uhhhhh"

I open my eyes slowly, to find Luke who is jumping on me.

"Come on Zack, wake up. It's already noon. Just because it's Saturday doesn't mean you are just going to sleep all day. Stop sleeping so much."

"What's going on?" I say, half asleep.

About 3 seconds later, after grasping reality, I realize that Luke is sitting on top of me. Apparently, my wounds must have healed up rather fast because I didn't feel any pain with Luke sitting on top of my stomach.

I also notice that I just so happen to have the typical morning hard on that all males wake up to.

"Uhhh Luke move please. I have to use the bathroom." I say, trying to divert the attention myself.

"Awww that's such a lie. I saw you get up around 10 this morning to use the bathroom. You can't possibly have to go again."

"Ughhh seriously, move!" I say as I push Luke backwards.

Luke falls back and flops right on top of a certain area that is quite fragile at the moment, crushing it inward which tends to be extremely painful.

"AHHH" I scream, kicking him off my bed.

"Ouch. That wasn't very nice. What's wrong with you?"

"Well… how should I put this… you crushed my morning wood and it hurt like hell!"

Luke's eyes bulge open.

I'm not quite sure if I should have been so direct like that. Based on his response of silent shock I can't really tell how he felt about that reaction. I just hope he wasn't turned on or anything.

"Oh… you do know Violet is sitting right behind you right?" Luke says, with a look that shows he is embarrassed for me.

'WHAT!' I think to myself as I turn around to see Violet giggling.

"Uhhh… hi Violet. I really want to talk with you, but I'm kind of half naked under this blanket and uhhh… yeah…"

"I can see that, but I thought you would've been up and ready to talk by now."

I turn around and slip myself as securely under my covers as I possibly can, while using my knees to elevate my blanket to hide my morning wood.

"Haha you're so funny when you're embarrassed Zack. I'll see you later then. By the way, we're meeting up on the Sky Deck in half an hour. Harvey works out everyday at that time so there is no chance that we'll run into him"

I remain completely silent for a few more seconds as I slowly turn around to see if Violet is completely out of site. Once assured of her absence, I turn back to Luke.

"Dude! You could've warned me."

"She kind of walked in somewhere between you pushing me onto you're 'morning wood' and you saying you had it. I didn't even see her until you were in midsentence. I wasn't just going to cut you off. Besides, how was I supposed to know you were going to say that?"

"Whatever. She found it funny anyway so I don't care. You weren't creeped out by my response though were you?"

"Well… not really. You know me. Besides, I'm into guys. At best I'd find that attractive, not creepy." He says, nudging my shoulder.

"Okay, now I'm creeped out."

After the past 5 minutes of talking, my bulge finally decided to put itself to an end. I finally allow myself to get out of my covers and stand up from my bed. Upon doing so, I notice Luke is staring at my crotch, probably checking if my bulge is still there to get a peek.

"Why are you staring at my balls? Save your gayness for Cody." I say, laughing at how obvious he made it.

I'm not sure why, but the fact that he was even interested in my crotch boosted my confidence. Even though I am not into guys, the fact that someone who is attracted to guys acknowledged me as a "guy worth checking out" made me kind of proud.

I spend the next twenty minutes throwing myself together. At this point I am just dying to know what happened after I blacked out last night and for that reason, I waste as little time as possible.

"Okay Luke, I'm ready to go." I say as I slip my last sock on.

"Good. I just finished checking my email. Cody and Violet are probably already at the Sky Deck."

"Then let's hurry!"

We exit our room and make our way to the Sky Deck.

On our way there, we talk about yesterday's events. So much happened that I can barely wrap my head around it. From school to getting harassed by Moseby, saving Violet, becoming closer with Luke, arguing with my brother, having Violet help me make up with my brother, having fun in the Game Room, and having that whole ordeal with Harvey, yesterday was a full length day!

As we make our way to the Sky Deck, we find Violet and Cody sitting with some smoothies at a table.

"Hey guys." Luke says, bringing their attention to us.

"Hi Luke. Oh Zack, I heard what happened this morning. You better not have turned Luke on with all that talk about your sex organs." Cody said, chuckling behind every word.

"Well, I can't exactly control Luke's pervy brain."

"Hey! I do not have a pervy brain!"

"Really Luke?" I say, stopping myself from adding that I found Luke staring at my crotch. I wanted to minimize the tension between me and Cody, and adding that bit of information wasn't going to help me.

"Pshhh whatever. Let's talk about something else."

It was obvious that Luke knew where I was going with that statement and, like me, he would rather Cody didn't know about it.

On that note, we both take a seat. Luke sits next to Cody, placing his hand on Cody's upper thigh, and I sit next to Violet.

"Hey Violet, how's it going?" I say, suave as ever.

"I'm doing good. Just so you know someone is kind of sitting in that seat. I'd suggest you move."

"Huh? Who's seat is…"

"Hey, Zack, what are you doing in my seat? Get out of it now!"

I turn around to find that it is none other then Becky. Becky is the boy's wrestling coach. She may be a girl, but she is definitely more scary than most of the guys on this boat, and twice my size!

The last time I spoke to her was when I ran into a dilemma where I accidentally pulled a prank on her about a year or two ago and I had to date her so she wouldn't hate me. Eventually, I realized that I couldn't allow it to last forever and had no choice but to break up with her. In the end, I saw how beautiful she looked when she actually tried to be a little feminine, but she hated me for using her so it didn't matter what I thought.

"Ahhh, Becky. What are you doing here?" I say, as petrified as I always was of her presence.

"I'm waiting for you to get out of my seat."

"Oh… right. Sorry about that."

I get up and walk to the seat that is as far away from her as possible, which happens to be next to my brother Cody.

"Dude, why is she here?" I whisper into Cody's ear.

"She's Violet's roommate. Didn't you know that?"

"No, I didn't."

Becky and Violet are roommates? They are absolutely nothing alike. How would they get along together? Even though I was dying to ask Violet more about the whole Becky thing, I don't really feel comfortable asking any of these questions out loud with Becky in walking, or rather stomping distance from me.

"Well now that Becky is here, let's begin." Violet says, taking control of the conversation.

"Okay Zack I'll tell you what happened when you blacked out, but it might be a little hard for you to believe it."

Finally, after hours of anticipation, I get to know what really happened last night.

* * *

_I know that I really am dragging this out, but I just love the suspense and why kill it so soon? I promise that in the next chapter everything will be revealed such as what happened while Zack was blacked out and if Violet is going to officially go with Zack to the prom. I hope you don't kill me (lol)_

_Please leave a review that provides your best guess as to what happened while Zack was unconscious (if you haven't done so already). ^_^  
_


	7. Brotherly Love

Chapter 7 – Brotherly Love

* * *

Violet takes a deep breath.

"Zack, do you remember when Harvey slammed you against my room's door?"

"Yeah, of course I do. Why does that matter?"

"Well… Becky was in the room at the time and that slam got her attention. She came out of the room and saw you on the ground with Harvey's foot on your stomach and me with Harvey's hand on my shirt."

"Wait a second… so Becky saved me? She is actually that concerned about what happens to me?"

Could this be the truth? The girl that scares the crap out of me defended me? It can't be.

"No way. I didn't save you or have any part in doing so. I was there to defend Violet." Becky says with a look of disgust on her face at the thought of being my savior.

"Anyway, Becky started yelling at him and he took his foot off your chest to approach her. Then after about ten seconds of throwing fists, Becky overpowers Harvey and he stumbles backward. I think his foot might have even jammed into you side with the speed she threw him at."

"Yeah… I remember feeling a full force kick in my side before I blacked out completely. She must have quite the arms to throw Harvey with that kind of speed though."

This whole story sounds so fictional. Then again, I doubt Violet would lie to me. I have learned one thing from all of this though. I should never mess with Becky.

Just then, a question popped into my head.

"So how did I get back into my room then? Becky made it clear that she wasn't there to help me. So who carried me?"

Becky then turns her head.

"Well, at that point I ran to get Luke and Cody to return you to safety while asking Becky to stick around." Violet says, looking as if she's hiding part of the story.

"That sounds great and all, but why did you say that this story would be hard for me to believe? Harvey's a jerk that beat you up so Becky beat him up. How is that hard to believe?" I say, hinting that I know there is more to it.

"Well… that's the thing. Becky didn't really hurt Harvey. All she did was fling him once and then he was impressed that she was capable of overpowering him. I'm not sure of the details since I stepped out to find the others, but let's just say I returned to Becky out Harvey kissing."

My eyes snap themselves open. I remain silent for a while. Could Becky really be into Harvey that easily? Even after all that he did to me and, more importantly, Violet? I just can't wrap my head around it. Well, then again, she did want to date me when I was beaten up by her a few years back.

"So… does that mean they're, you know… going out?" I say very hesitantly. This whole situation has turned completely awkward. I don't get why I'm so surprised that the two people that I'm scared of were making out, but I just am.

Violet then turns her face toward Becky as if she wants Becky to answer my question. Becky then turns toward me, rolling her eyes.

"If you count going with Harvey to the prom tomorrow going out then, yes…" Becky says, looking surprisingly innocent as she says it.

I don't want to make Becky angry again, but this could be a problem. After all, if I'm planning on asking Violet to the prom, then I can't have Harvey there. That could result in a dangerous outcome.

Becky then jumps from her seat.

"Oh no! I was supposed to meet Harvey at the gym 5 minutes ago! I'd better go now. Bye Violet!" Becky says, speaking faster than any of use could comprehend what she was saying.

I then turn my attention to Cody and Luke, who have been rather silent during this entire discussion. To my surprise, actually not to my surprise, they are whispering and giggling to each other.

Anyway, since there isn't any other topic to stop me right now, I guess I'll give asking Violet to the prom another shot.

"Ummm… Violet, can I ask you something?"

Violet turns her head from Becky's distant body to me.

"Sure, Zack. What's up?"

"Well… I was wondering if you still want to go to the prom with me?"

Ughhh… why did I have to say it like such a desperate loser?

I then watch as Violet's face then begins to form a smirk.

I want to ask what's so funny, but that would make me seem defensive, which is not the message I'd like to send.

"Sure Zack. But it isn't like you to have such uncertainty when you ask a question. What happened to the overconfident Zack from yesterday?"

"I'm just a little worried that Harvey might ruin our prom night since he'll be there is all."

And there I go again. Saying things that make me sound emotional. I really need to get out of here and just stop sharing my paranoia with those around me.

"Don't worry Zack. Becky will make sure he doesn't hurt you. Even if she doesn't want to protect you, she will if I want her to." Violet says with a reassuring wink.

Just great. Now Violet thinks I'm helpless and scared… could she be right? I don't know anymore. Even if I am though, she can't know that.

"No it isn't that. It's just that I don't want you to get hurt. I'll be fine…" I say, practically forcing those words out of my mouth.

I then notice Luke and Cody started listening in at some point.

"What do you guys think we should do?" I say, hoping they can shed some light on this dilemma.

Luke then turns his head toward Cody, hinting that he has no idea what to do. Cody is better with this kind of stuff anyway.

"Okay… I guess I'll have to tell you guys now. I was kind of keeping this a secret, but I was actually planning to have my own little prom dinner with Luke because most of the people that will be there do not know we are dating. I'm afraid of what they might think…"

Wow… Cody must have a lot on his mind too. I mean, between trying to satisfy Luke, satisfy me, and keep his relationship with Luke a secret his life is just filled with obstacles.

I then come back to my senses to find Violet hugging Cody.

"So, do you guys want to join us for dinner? Then you won't have to worry about Harvey."

"I'd love to. How about you Zack?" Violet says as she releases her hug.

"Sure. I'd love to." I say, happy as I ever could be. Not only am I going to get to spend prom night with only my closest friends, but now I don't have to worry about Harvey.

Then, I'm not sure why, but I stand up from my seat. I begin to walk toward Cody and, for the first time in weeks, give him a big hug.

Sure we hugged yesterday when we made up, but Cody was hugging me more than I was.

"Thank you buddy," I whisper into Cody's ear as I release my grip from him.

"That's what brother's are for," Cody says, as he takes me in for another hug.

It felt too good to be true. Cody is putting me first. It's as if he cares about me more than himself. I guess that's why I love him so much sometimes.

* * *

_I hope you enjoyed this chapter. To be honest, I don't like it all that much compared to the past few chapters. I've been in a bad mood for the past few days and I've been struggling to get this chapter released as a result. I'll probably write the first chapter of one of my other few stories I've planned before continuing with this story because I am not getting the same passion I had for this story at the moment. Once my mood is back to the way it was I'll be sure to write some more of this story._

_If you liked this chapter though and actually think that my mood isn't making this worse then please review this chapter saying so...  
_


	8. Comforting Love

Chapter 8 – Comforting Love

* * *

The night of our prom is finally here. It all seems too good to be true. Not only do I get to spend the night with my two best buddies in the whole world, but I also get to spend the night with the girl of my dreams, Violet. Things surely could never get better.

"Hey Zack, could you throw me a pair of socks," Luke says, also getting ready for the big night.

I throw him the only pair of socks I could find in the mess our room has become in the past few days. Sure we cleaned it on Friday, but that doesn't mean we should be expected to have our room tidy for any length of time.

"So Luke, are you excited about tonight?"

"Sure am! I am going to have the best prom ever. I knew I would be spending tonight with my boyfriend, but it's going to be even better now that you're going to be there." Luke says as he places his hand on my back.

"Woah there buddy. Is that a move you're making?" I say. Sometimes, he just makes it too obvious.

Luke then pushes me toward the bathroom.

"No way. I was just going to tell you that you stink. Go take a shower." He says, laughing under every word. What a goof.

I quickly get into the shower. In the past year or two, just about when Luke entered the picture, I finally brought myself to taking showers regularly. I used to find them to be such a nuisance, but now I find showers as a way to just get away from the world and think a little.

After spending about twenty minutes bathing and drying, I make my way out of the room to find Luke has already left. He tends to be ready faster than me quite frequently.

I throw my towel off and locked the bedroom door. After that morning dilemma with Violet I have been a lot more paranoid when it comes to my body, so locking the door will allow me to take my time getting ready without any accidental walk-ins.

Once I am completely ready, I make my way to Violet's room to pick her up. I find that Violet looks like she has been standing outside her room for quite some time now. I hope she isn't annoyed that I took long. I get carried away when it comes to showering.

"Hey Violet. Ready to have some fun tonight?"

"Of course I am. Would I have decided to spend my prom night with you if I didn't want it to be a fun night?"

I giggle a bit and get her to start laughing as well.

"Cody and Luke haven't come by yet?"

"Nope. I'm not sure where they are."

"Well Luke wasn't in my room when I left, so I think they might be at Cody's room. Let's go check it out."

We both walk to Cody's room in complete silence. As we get closer to his room though, I begin to turn toward Violet and notice how excited she looks about tonight. It must be so exciting that she is as speechless as I am.

"Hey Zack… before we join Luke and Cody, I was wondering if we could have our first kiss. Right here. Right now. What better night to kiss for the first time then on our Senior prom, right?"

My eyes begin to bulge open. That's what she was thinking about? She was thinking about kissing? Remember when I said that this night couldn't get any better? Well I am making a correction to that statement because it just got better!

"So Zack… what do you think?" Violet says, innocent as ever, but with a hint of hopefulness behind every word.

I remain silent and begin to look her in the eyes as innocent as she was to me. After about 10 seconds of silent staring, Violet begins to ease in for a kiss. Could this really be happening? Maybe I'm dreaming? Well either way, I'm loving every second of this.

I also close my eyes and proceed to move forward. When our lips meet I feel as if, for the first time in my life, I am kissing someone that I truly love. Not just some pretty girl I wanted to spend a night's dinner with, but a girl that I honestly love. As for Violet, the soft presence of her lips upon mine spoke similarly.

After what felt like a lifetime, Violet begins to pull out of the kiss. Even after the kiss though, I still continue experiencing a feeling in which I had never felt before. One of true love.

As we continue to gaze into the eyes of one another, I finally notice a figure behind Violet. Reality then slaps me in the face.

"Ahhhhh HARVEY!" I shout as I back away. I shut my eyes completely, fearing what I know is coming my way.

Violet then throws herself off of me and turns to see the reality which had formed in my mind.

As I keep my eyes shut tight, I begin to hear a giggle come from Violet who is still just in front of me. Could Violet really find this situation funny? I open my eyes slowly to find the fear in my head was a mere illusion. It is only Luke who is standing there.

"Oh… Luke… there you are." I say, realizing that I embarrassed myself yet again.

I then continue watching Luke and realize that, unlike Violet, he isn't as thrilled by my clumsiness.

"Luke, what's wrong?" I say, changing Violet's smirk into a serious look.

"It's Cody. I can't find him anywhere. He isn't in his room and Woody [his roommate] hasn't seen him since school ended this afternoon!" Luke says, in absolute fear of the situation.

"I thought he was excited about tonight…" Luke continues, beginning to break down into tears.

"Awww come on Luke, I doubt he ditched you. He is probably waiting on the Sky Deck for us." I say as I place my arm on Luke's shoulder to comfort him.

Luke then throws my arm off of his shoulder and jumps backward. "NO YOU IDIOT. I CHECKED THE SKY DECK. HE ISN'T THERE! IT IS ALL YOUR FAULT!" Luke snaps at me. My eyes begin to bulge open.

"You just had to force Cody into an uncomfortable position and force yourself into our special prom night, didn't you?"

"No… Cody asked me. I wasn't trying to upset anyone…"

"Cody is too worried about you. Of course he'd ask you. But because you had to agree, now he ran off and hid himself from us… from me! You know what? Just get out of my life. If you want to be my friend that's one thing, but when you interfere in my relationship with Cody then you have crossed the line!" Luke says, running away completely engulfed in tears.

I remain silent for a while. Could I have really been so heartless to just invite myself to Cody's special night? I'm such a jerk.

I then pull my fist back and, with all my might, thrust it forward at the wall in front of me, leaving a hole where my fist was. Tears begin to form in my eyes. 'Come on Zack, snap out of it,' I think to myself. 'You don't want to cry in front of Violet'.

Violet then brings me in for a hug from behind. "Don't take what Luke said personally, Zack. He looked very worried about Cody and he took his frustration out on you. If you want to make it up to Luke, then you'll have to find Cody for him."

Violet then places her fingers underneath my eyelids to wipe away the tears. I turn to look at her.

"Do you think Cody is mad at me?"

"Who knows? It is a possibility, but let's find him first before making any assumptions." Violet says, flashing a smile in my direction.

I grab Violet by the back of her head and take her in for a kiss. I don't care that there are tears all over my lips, or that my nose is running. All that I care about is that I have a girlfriend who cares about me. Violet doesn't seem to mind my tears either. In fact, she seems to be more concerned about comforting me than actually enjoying the kiss herself.

After a few seconds, I separate from the kiss and wipe my face clean of the tears I was previously shedding. I turn around and begin walking away from her. I spin back around to see that she is confused that I am leaving her, but is in no way stopping me.

"What are you waiting for, Violet. Aren't we going to go find Cody?" I say, watching as Violet's confusion turns into a smile.

"Alright! Let's get going," Violet says, happy that I made the right decision.

This isn't the prom that I imagined, but the feelings of my friends and family need to be my priority. So without further ado, I will go to the one place that I know Luke couldn't have checked. Next stop, the Tipton Ballroom, where the real prom is taking place!

* * *

_Whew... I'm back! I thoroughly enjoyed writing this chapter, which might be a good sign! This is where the climax begins. So I hope you enjoyed this change of events!_

_I will update this depending on how quickly the reviews come in, so if you are dying to see me update then let me know in a review. I might complete this story before continuing my others if enough people ask as well! _^_^


	9. Mysterious Love

Chapter 9 – Mysterious Love

* * *

"Ummm Zack… where exactly are we going"

"Don't worry Violet. You will see soon enough."

"Please don't tell me we're going to the ballroom. What if Harvey sees us?"

"He's with Becky. I doubt he'll confront us and if he does then she'll set him straight."

I continue to stare at Violet as confident as I possibly can, despite how ripped apart I feel inside from Luke's piercing comments from before. However, my confidence seems to phase Violet as she puts her head down in fear.

"What's wrong Violet?"

"Well… it's just that Becky kind of caught Harvey with another girl this morning and broke up with him."

"Oh… so they haven't spoken since?"

"Well after she broke up with him she did beat him up a little and since then they haven't spoke."

"Do you think it's possible that Harvey is responsible for Cody's disappearance? Since Becky broke up with him that could have given him the green light to go out and unleash his revenge on me and maybe he's using my brother as the bait!"

"That could be… it isn't a definite theory, but it's all that we have to go by at the moment."

"Alright then. I guess we'll have to confront Harvey."

"Woah there big boy… we can't just stomp in there and demand information from him. We have to think this through."

"Well let's get there first."

"Sounds like a plan. Let's go."

I'm not quite sure why, but even though I feel beaten down by Luke, Violet really brings out my confidence. I feel like I can take down the world. She has been by my side ever since we first spoke. Even when I had made mistakes and stupid decisions, she continued to stand by me no matter what. She's the best girlfriend I could ever ask for.

* * *

"Okay, we've made it. Now let's look around. We'll meet back here in five minutes with whatever information we have." Violet says, taking control of the planning. I guess my hunch wasn't convincing enough to her.

"Sure thing." I say, casually walking in the opposite direction of her in order to blend into the crowd.

As I make my way to the punch bowl I realize how different the Tipton Ballroom looks for this particular occasion. They hung red streams across the ceiling and lit up the room with multi-colored lighting. They also covered the borders of the ballroom with beautiful ceramic tables. It looked more like a restaurant with a dance floor if you'd ask me. Kind of like a place that you would go to for a wedding. Everything about it was amazing.

I take a cup of fruit punch and begin drinking. I then turn around to begin getting an idea of the people in the setting. First things first, Cody clearly is not here. Harvey, on the other hand, is too into his "new girlfriend" to notice me.

His new girlfriend seems more like the slutty kind of girl that is just into finding a big strong man that would do anything with her. Guess she found her perfect match.

I wonder… maybe we don't have to confront Harvey to figure out if it was Harvey that is responsible for Cody's disappearance. His girlfriend might know a thing or two.

"Hi Zack." I hear from behind me.

"Woody, hey! Perfect timing. I need your help. Come with me." I say as I grab Woody's arm to bring him back to where me and Violet are supposed to be meeting up around now.

As we approach the meeting spot I see Violet, looking like she is excited that I am bringing Woody with me.

"Zack, do you have any ideas?"

"Why do you assume I have an idea?" I say jokingly as I hide Woody behind my back as best I could although his round figure makes it rather obvious that he is still behind me.

"Come on Zack, what do you need me for? I have to get back to Addison soon." Woody says, pulling himself away from me.

" Wait a second, you're dating Addison? Since when?"

"Since I asked her out two hours ago. Enough chit chat. Let's get to the point."

"Okay. I need you to get Harvey to talk to you. Just distract him and get him away from his girlfriend."

"Are you crazy? He'd beat me to a pulp. Why can't you just do it if you think otherwise?"

"Because he hates me. Whatever you think he'd do to you wouldn't even compare to what he'd do to me!"

"Well I still won't do it. Have a nice day." Woody says as he marches toward Addison.

"Ughhhhh now what are we supposed to do?"

"How about we try to get a girl to distract him? He won't beat up a girl. Well, except for me of course…" Violet says, confident with her decision yet scared at the thought of Harvey abusing her.

"That just might work. But who could we possibly ask? Becky didn't bother showing up and the only other girl that I am even capable of convincing is…"

"Zack. There you are! Have you seen Cody anywhere? I need him to do my… I mean help me with my homework." Says a rather familiar voice.

"And here she is right now. Violet, I would like you to meet London Tipton. London, this is my girlfriend, Violet."

"And she isn't badly dressed like most of the girlfriends you have."

"Oh please London. You're just saying that because she is rich enough to buy the clothes that you buy."

"Anyway, London we need your help." Violet interrupts our rather pointless discussion.

"Help? I don't help people." London says as she begins to walk away.

"Wait a minute London, you see that guy over there?" I say as I point at Harvey.

"Yeah, what about him?" London says with a look that shows she is disgusted by his appearance.

"Well… he's the prom photographer and this year's theme is 'beautifully dressed rich girls'. You should go over there and ask him to take your picture. Although I think you deserve better lighting than this room provides so try to get him to take it outside." I say, playing to London's weakness.

"Ooooo Okay then!"

"Wait, London. Make sure you do NOT mention that I'm the one who told you about him. Also, he only takes pictures of people that are 'in love' with him so try to be a little flirty if you know what I mean." I add to my idea.

"Got it!" London says as she runs as fast as a women in heels possibly could towards Harvey.

"Works like a charm." I say as I wink at Violet.

"Now, I think I should be the one to talk with his girlfriend. She might take you talking to her as a move."

"Alright then. I trust that you know what to do. Good luck. I'll be watching from a distance."

I turn back toward London to see that Harvey seems to be falling for the plan. He appears to be telling his girlfriend to stay and wait for him.

"This is it." Violet says looking at me.

"Yup. Here we go." I say, watching London and Harvey approach the door.

"And… GO!" I say as soon as London and Harvey are out of sight.

I just hope that this plan works. For my sake, for Luke's sake, and for Cody's sake.

* * *

_I know that this chapter was a little boring compared to the previous few, but I had to include this to start off the search for Cody. From what I have planned, this should be the last "less interesting chapter" so I hope you can bare with me for now. Thanks for reading _^_^

_Please be sure to review even if you found this chapter boring! _=P_  
_


	10. Useless Love

Chapter 10 – Useless Love

* * *

I continue to focus my attention on Violet as she walks toward Harvey's date. At this point there is nothing that I can really do aside from trust Violet to be smart with her approach.

I watch as Violet begins conversing with the girl. I just don't get it. Why would anyone want to date Harvey? He's the furthest thing from nice and he's pretty scary looking too. Whatever the case may be, this girl is definitely trouble if she is into such a creeper.

I continue watching Violet talk. She definitely seems to have everything under control. I, on the other hand, am rather useless right now. I have girls doing all the risky work while I watch from the background. Violet is talking to Harvey's girlfriend and London is dealing with Harvey himself. They could both lead to dilemmas I'd rather not even think about. Meanwhile, I am just watching from a distance. Talk about pathetic.

'Maybe it would be best if I check up on London and Harvey.' I think to myself as I see Violet confidently conversing in the distance. Harvey is not the safest person to be around, especially when you are all alone with him. Then again, I'm not quite sure I would be much of a threat on my own if he were doing anything wrong, but I will feel worse in the long run if I do not at least check. Besides, it'll put me to some use as oppose to being useless like I am now.

I make my way to the ballroom entrance and follow the narrow hallway at a very slow pace as to keep myself hidden once I spot Harvey.

After several minutes of walking, I have no luck in finding the two of them. How could they have just disappeared like this? I hope Harvey isn't up to no good again.

I begin to backtrack to the ballroom when I see a closet door ahead of me swing open. I jump behind the big plant that is conveniently next to me to keep myself unnoticed.

I continue to look at the closet door as I find none other than Harvey emerge from it. What was he doing in there? He was certainly not the most innocent person around so I couldn't just pretend I hadn't seen what he was up to.

As soon as Harvey turns the corner, I run as fast I can toward the closet door, which is left open. I look inside and I see London, who seems to be about to exit the closet. I continue observing her facial expression; annoyed as she usually is. At least she doesn't have an upset look so he couldn't have done anything too bad.

"Hey London. How'd it go?" I ask her confidently, pretending I am excited for her whole photography thing and unaware that she was in danger the whole time.

"It went just fine. He took a few pictures of me and then he seemed to think that I wanted him."

"Wait a minute… London… please don't tell me you guess did anything."

"Oh, no. Of course not. He tried to get me undressed, but I got my hands a little dirty and flung him into this closet. I didn't really feel like getting into a whole brawl with the guy so I just paid him to get away from me." London says as she begins walking away.

"Typical London. Paying your way out of a situation."

"You should try it sometime."

"If only it were that easily." I mumble to myself behind a chuckle.

After London exits the scene, I slowly leave the closet. But what should I do now? London can obviously take care of herself and Violet has the talking under control. The only thing I can do for now is head back and see if Violet has obtained all the information we need.

I walk slowly as to not run into Harvey since he is probably ahead of me. Suddenly, it hits me. Harvey is on his way back! He's going back to the ballroom and Violet is there with his girlfriend! He'll spot Violet for sure and I'm scared just thinking about what could happen from there. I begin to run as fast as I possibly can toward the ballroom to the chain of events that my mind has developed.

* * *

Within a few minutes, I reach the doors leading to the Tipton Ballroom. I quickly swing them open and begin searching for Violet. I search the dance floor, food tables, and every crevice I could possibly fine. Unfortunately, she is nowhere to be found and, for that matter, neither is Harvey. Maybe he took her somewhere else?

Feelings of frustration begin to flood my head as I realize what a selfish jerk I am. I made everyone risk their own safety and left myself to simply hide in the background. Meanwhile, this whole problem was mine to begin with. What had I done?

Suddenly I see a spark of hope amongst an otherwise hopeless room. In a corner, I see Harvey's girlfriend completely covered in tears. The reason for those tears remains a mystery, but there is a good chance they will uncover a solution to the dilemma I am in.

"Hi there. What's wrong?" I say in a rather sympathetic toned voice as I kneel down to get to her level.

"Who are you?" She says behind all the sniffling and tears.

"I'm Zack."

"ZACK! THANK GOODNESS YOU'RE HERE! My name is Nicole." She says, throwing herself into a hug with me.

"Uhhh how do you know me?"

"Violet was screaming your name a few minutes ago."

"Wait a second... what happened to Violet?"

"'Let's get right to the point. Violet is in trouble. Harvey took her away saying that she did a bad thing by leaving him for you. I tried to stop him, but he pushed me to the ground and warned me to stay away. Then I began to break down in tears."

Wow. This is the kind of girl that is into Harvey? She isn't that bad. She's actually really concerned about Violet and is not even close to Harvey personality-wise. I guess I was way off with how I thought this girl would act.

"Okay, okay. Leave it to me. For now I want you to wait here." I say, trying to rid Nicole of the stress she is under despite how stressful I know this scenario is for the both of us.

Harvey has done it now. First he breaks his girlfriend's heart, and then he tries to hurt mine. I'm not sure what will happen when me and Harvey are face to face, but I know that I have to put myself on the line even if I don't want to. So far, everyone else has been risking themselves to uncover the truth except me, but now it is my turn. Don't worry Violet, I'm coming to save you!

* * *

_Hope you enjoyed this chapter! There should only be five more chapters at most so we are coming close to end!_

_Please review this chapter so that I can know if you like or dislike the direction this story is headed. _^_^_  
_


	11. Forsaken Love

Chapter 11 - Forsaken Love

* * *

I charge out the Ballroom toward the West Wing since that is the only path Harvey could have possibly taken Violet without me seeing them on my way back to the ballroom. I don't think that I have ever run this fast in my life. I feel as if my feet are not touching the ground, but rather they are just grazing through the air. Good thing too because almost as quickly as I had concluded that I need to save Violet, I find myself before Harvey.

My eyes widen as I see Harvey all over Violet. All over MY girlfriend. It feels like a repeat of the same scene where I had met Violet. From Harvey trying to stick his hand down her shirt to the look of fear in Violet's eyes. All that we need is the same location on the boat as last time and this could be exactly the same scenario. Well, except for one little piece of information. Last time, Harvey's hands were all over a girl that I didn't know. This time, however, he is touching my girlfriend.

Without hesitation, I bolt toward Harvey. A burst of rage begins to consume me. I'm not sure if this enraged feeling is because I feel that I have a responsibility to attend to since I've been useless this whole time or because I feel this was my fault or because it is my girlfriend that he touching, but right now I feel as if I could take out ten Harvey's let alone the one before me who hasn't even noticed my presence.

Unlike last time where I simply pushed Harvey off of Violet, this time I charge violently. I throw a punch at Harvey's face, probably the most merciless punch I have ever thrown at anyone. Harvey smashes against the floor as I continue recklessly jabbing at his face while he takes every punch.

After I get tired of using Harvey as a punching bag, I give him one last kick to the face and turn back around toward Violet. As I look at Violet victoriously, I realize that Violet looks at me in fear. Her eyes begin to water up. Had I done something wrong? I saved her. That is what she wanted. She called my name before. She wanted me to come to her rescue. Right?

I turn around to see Harvey sitting against the wall with a bloody nose, staring at Violet helplessly. What have I done? I stooped as low as my own bully. My adrenaline rush begins to quickly fade as a feeling of guilt consumes me.

I turn toward Violet, now understanding her look of fear.

"Violet, I'm sorry… I didn't mean to go that far." I say as I walk toward her.

"GET AWAY FROM ME YOU MONSTER!" She screams as tears begin to run down her eyes.

"I thought you were better than that. I thought you were different than the other boys I wasted my life with in the past. I guess I was wrong. All you boys are the same. Did you even stop to look at Harvey in the midst of your assault on him? After the first punch I think he got the message. I guess you're just as insensitive as the rest of your kind." Violet cries out as she runs away.

I don't think I'd ever felt like I was at fault as much as this very moment. Cody and Luke's guilt cards hadn't even struck me this hard. I just frightened my own girlfriend, and at what cost? Sure I overcame my fear of Harvey, but Violet is much more important to me than that.

After Violet turns the corner, I turn back around to Harvey. He seems to be trying to stand with the border of his nose covered in dried blood.

"Now wasn't that just lovely. You lost your girlfriend, I'm about to go claim her as my girlfriend, and, to top it all off, I'm about to beat you to a pulp." Harvey snickers as he stares at me with eyes of hatred.

"Wait a minute, but I thought I beat you up. And I thought you were sorry for what you had done?"

"Ha! Oh please. Me, sorry? Never! I just let you beat me up so you would look like the bad guy in front of Violet. Now it is time for me to return the favor, except this time without Violet witnessing it."

So that was his plan! I can't believe I, let alone Violet, bought that sympathy act. Well it's not as if I stand any sort of chance against him now. He doesn't even look phased by my previous assault on him, and this time I don't even have that adrenaline so I stand even less of a chance. What kind of monster is this guy?

Harvey begins to stomp toward me. I feel vibrations on the floor with every step he takes. I can't win this fight! It's impossible. If I somehow win, then Violet will hate me even more and if I let myself get beaten up, I probably won't live to know what happens from there.

I begin to slowly back up as he walks toward me. After I back up enough so that my back hits the wall, I begin to bolt toward the right. I do not even turn around to see what Harvey is doing and, to be quite honest, I don't care what he is doing.

I begin to hear Harvey make some sort of yelling noise in the distance as he accelerates his pace quite a bit. Tears of fear begin to stream down my face as I recall the whole day so far. This was supposed to be prom night. The night I had anticipated ever since I met Violet. And not only does Luke think I'm at fault for Cody's disappearance, but now Violet is upset at me for going overboard on Harvey and to top it all off, now I'm about to get killed by Harvey. Some night this turned out to be.

* * *

I manage to run to the ballroom and mix myself into the crowd, which Harvey mercilessly plows down as he continues charging toward me. Violet seems to be nowhere in sight. She probably went back to her room in tears.

I leap over tables, and shove my way through the dance floor as thoughts of getting beaten up by Harvey drive me to continue running. I finally make my way out of the ballroom, noticing everyone in the ballroom's attention is completely on me. Unfortunately, all that they do is watch though. Probably a smart move on their part. Only an idiot would jump into a fight against Harvey.

A few seconds into my running after I exit the ballroom, I see a blur go past me in the opposite direction. As scared as I am of Harvey behind me, I turn around to see what, or rather who, would even dare to run toward Harvey. I turn around to find Harvey slammed against the wall, looking even madder than he had when he was chasing me. I can't believe it. Someone actually came to my rescue. Someone I had never expected to see here, but wasn't going to question.

"You're here" I say, ecstatic that there is someone that is still willing to back me up.

"There's no time to talk. Look out Zack! Here he comes."

"Alright! Let's take Harvey down."

I'm not sure why, but the confidence of another person just kept me confident as well. I once again feel like Harvey is beatable. With the two of us, Harvey doesn't stand a chance! Don't worry Violet; I'm not the monster you think I am. After we beat this guy up, I'm coming for you next. Haha…

* * *

_Who is the person that came to Zack's rescue? Will Zack and this person be able to overcome Harvey? Find out next chapter!_

_For this chapter, make your review with a guess as to who the person who came to Zack's rescue is. The only hint I will give you is that it is not a new character to this story! _^_^_  
_


	12. Merciless Love

Chapter 12 – Merciless Love

* * *

All this time, I thought I'd officially lost everyone. Thankfully, there is still one person who cares. One person that has overcome his blind emotions towards me. And with him in the picture, we just might stand a chance. Lookout Harvey because Luke and I are coming to get you.

"Well, well, well. What do we have here? A little reunion of friends. How cute. Why don't I just leave you two alone so you could…"

"SHUT IT HARVEY!" Luke interrupts Harvey as he punches him in the stomach.

"We aren't here to talk. I came to help out my friend, Zack."

"Well then. I guess I'll just have to take you out first so that I can continue beating on chicken boy over there."

So now I'm chicken boy… I guess I deserve that kind of title. After all, I've went from watching everyone on the sidelines to running away when I attempted to do anything useful. However, it isn't too late. All that ends here!

After a few seconds of watching Harvey pin Luke against the wall, Harvey smashes his own head into Luke's. I watch in fear as Harvey's head looks a bit sore and Luke's begins to bleed. He's gone too far this time.

"HAHAHAHA! How does that feel, Luke?"

"Zack..."

I charge toward Harvey and leap on top of him. Harvey tumbles to the ground, releasing his grip from Luke as I sit on top of him.

"First you turn my friends against me and now you hurt them. You've crossed the line this time Harvey." I say in a rather heroic tone.

"Too bad there's nothing you can do about it." Harvey replies as he throws a punch.

I'm not sure what begins to take me over, but instead of dodging the punch, as I normally would expect myself to do, I decide to catch it in a block. I feel a rather tremendous twitch creep from my arm to the upper and lower regions of my body.

After recovering from this twitch, with Harvey fist still cuffed between my hands, I use both of my hands to force his fist to bend backward beyond the limits of the typical wrist. Harvey begins letting out a scream as he recklessly throws punches with his vacant hand only to miss with every one. I will not let him get away. Not this time. Not after all he has done to me. He's hurt me too many times and he's going to pay for it.

"STOP! PLEASE! IT HURTS!" Harvey cries out with a similar expression as the one he gave during his silent treatment in front of Violet.

'Maybe I should let him go. I think he's learned his lesson and there's no need to go overboard… again…' I think to myself. I turn toward Luke to see his reaction toward my current merciless attitude. To my surprise though, I find Luke completely passed out with blood covering his forehead.

My eyes widen and my muscles tighten. 'Harvey did that… and I was considering showing mercy on him… on this heartless killing machine…' I think to myself as my grip on Harvey's fist tightens. I turn back around to find a bit of blood on Harvey's veins.

"Please… stop…" Harvey says, calmer this time.

"Shut up! I fell for the sympathy act once, but not this time." I say, finally overcoming any second doubts I'd had about breaking every bone in his body. I begin to use the hand I was squeezing his fist with to twist his fist to the right. About five seconds into the twist I begin to hear his bones crack.

"AHHHH… Don't…" Harvey pleads to me.

"Hmmmmm isn't that the same thing that I heard Violet tell you the first time I saved her from you. And did you stop? NO! YOU CONTINUED HARASSING HER!" I say with tears dripping from my eyes.

I release Harvey's fist from my grip and stand back up, watching him lie helplessly on the floor. I continue my assault as I continuously kick him, hitting him harder with every kick and hearing a yelp from him every time.

"This one's for Nicole!" I scream as I lunge a kick into his face harder than the previous ones.

"And this one's for Becky!" I scream yet again, kicking him with equal force in his stomach.

"And this one's for Cody!" I yell as I begin to cry. "YAAAA!" I scream trying to keep myself focused on inflicting pain on Harvey instead of my tears as I kick his chest.

"Did you like that kick to the chest? Doesn't it remind you of when you lashed out on my chest? Well it better!" I say to an unconscious Harvey.

"This one's for Violet!" I say, muttering underneath tears as I throw a punch at Harvey's cheek.

"And this one should remind you of an event that took place just a few minutes ago. THIS ONE IS FOR LUKE!" I erupt as I smash my head into Harvey's in a similar fashion as he did to Luke a few short moments ago.

After the collision of our heads, I begin to tumble to the ground. "It's done." I whisper to myself as a smirk forms across my face.

I pick myself back up as I see a rather large bump on Harvey's head. I stroke my own forehead to see the damage that had on me. 'Ack' I yell to myself as I pull my hand away from my head. It wasn't bleeding, but it hurt a LOT!

I stumble toward Luke, leaning against the wall with a throbbing headache the whole walk there. I place myself right beside him.

"We did it, buddy." I whisper in his ear as I wrap my arms around him for a hug.

I'm not exactly sure what taking down Harvey had accomplished, but I felt like a whole new person. Now that I think about it, taking down Harvey did have one benefit to it. I am now a bit more mentally secure. Not sure how long this feeling is going to last, but for now I am thoroughly pleased by its sensation.

I begin to slide down Luke's body as I continue leaning on him.

"I guess… a champion needs his rest too…" I force out of my mouth as I fall asleep on Luke's lap.

* * *

...

... Zack... Wake up...

* * *

_We're coming REALLY close to the end! Just one more chapter to sum up everything and then the chapter after that will be an introduction to the "Luke Version" of this story. Thank you for reading so far._

_Please Review about what you think of this story so far. _^_^


	13. Passionate Love

Chapter 13 – Passionate Love

* * *

I peek my eyes open, completely unaware of my surroundings. Did Harvey knock me out? No. I won. I think I did. Was that all a dream?

I bring myself back to my senses as I become aware that there is a bag of ice on my forehead. I brush it off and focus on where I am. I lean upward and notice Luke on the bed next to mine. I notice pictures all over the wall of Luke and Cody.

"About time you woke up." A rather familiar voice says.

'Could it be…' I think to myself as I spin around to see the person behind the voice.

"CODY!" I yell as I jump out of my bed. I run toward him and bring him in for the most honest brotherly hug I had ever given him.

"Relax yourself Zack. Luke woke up a little while ago and collapsed again because he exerted himself too much."

"It's okay man. I feel fine. I'm just happy you're safe. What did Harvey do to you?"

"Harvey? I haven't even seen Harvey today. I stayed after school today to do some homework in the classroom before you guys would distract me with the prom and all. Then, next thing I knew, the classroom door was locked and I was trapped in there for hours. It was only when Violet passed by the classroom in tears that she set me free and we went back to her room. There she told us everything. Apparently, Luke was with her until he vanished. I went out to look for Luke when I saw all of you passed out on the floor; Luke and Harvey covered in blood. I guess Luke went to help you."

"Awww bro… I should've checked the classroom. Don't ever scare me like that again. Better yet, don't ever scare Luke like that again. He completely lost control of himself before."

"I heard. Violet told us he gave you a piece of his mind."

"Yeah, but I'm just wondering. How did we wind up here?"

"Well, when I came out to look for Luke, Becky came with me since she was in the room as well. She actually came because, as far as we knew, you beat up Harvey single handedly and Becky had to see it to believe it."

"Well that isn't what happened at all. Harvey faked the whole thing to turn Violet against me and make me lose all hope of standing a chance against him. If it weren't for Luke coming to the rescue I would've been history."

Cody turns his eyes toward Luke as a smile extends across his face. His thoughts are so predictable sometimes. He is obviously proud that his boyfriend was a "hero". I did all the dirty work, but let's not mention that for Cody's sake.

"Well Zack, I think you'd better go have a word with Violet."

"Yeah…" I say, fearing the confrontation I know must happen.

Before I get the opportunity to leave, I hear tossing and turning coming from Luke's bed.

"Looks like Luke is waking up." I say as I walk toward his bed and sit beside him.

Luke's eyes peek open, locking on me first.

"Zack… we did it…" Luke says as he extends his arms symbolizing he wants a hug.

I gently wrap my arms around him, trying not to hurt his clearly fragile body. As soon as I come in contact with Luke, he hugs me tighter than I had expected. It wasn't exactly a squeeze, but he hugged me tighter than someone with a head injury should.

"Be careful buddy. You took quite the blow to the head. If you strain yourself you might faint again."

Despite my warning, Luke continues gripping me. I turn to look at Cody who seems to be smiling. At least he isn't jealous that his man is all over me or anything.

I pull myself away from Luke, leaving his arms resting on my sides. I look down to find my shirt is wet.

"Dude, are you crying?" I say in shock. Luke doesn't really cry all that much, especially in times such as this, where there is peace and happiness.

"No man. I think that's just drool from when I was sleeping. Haha, sorry about that." He says as he pulls me back in for a second hug.

I'm so happy that Luke trusts me again. I cradle my head over his as a way of saying I am there for him. I feel his head moving quite a bit during the hug. His nose begins constantly slamming against my chest and back away. He's most likely trying to adjust his head so that his injury will not come in contact with me.

"Dude, are you okay now?"

"What? Oh, yeah I'm fine." Luke says as he releases his grip from me.

I stand up to exit the room.

"Ummm, Zack…"

"Yeah? What is it Luke?"

"I'm sorry for being mad at you before…"

"No problem. You're the best man."

I then here Luke mumble something.

"What did you say?"

"Oh… Thanks for understanding." He says hesitantly.

"Haha, no problem bro." I reassure him.

As I continue walking toward the exit, I look down at my shirt to find it is indented at my lower chest. I grab the bottom of my shirt and begin shaking it to shake out the crease left from Luke's face. He must've really wanted me to know he was sorry for before with such a gracious hug.

* * *

I finally make my way out of the room and close the door behind me. I make my way out of the hallway to journey toward the girls' rooms. On my way there, I spot Nicole who is sitting beside the hot tub in silence. I walk toward her and sit beside her.

"Hey…" I say trying to match the tone of my voice to the expression on her face.

"Oh… hi there. I saw what you guys did to Harvey." Nicole says as she turns her head to the ground.

"I see…" I say, trying to sympathize with her. I guess she hasn't completely gotten over Harvey yet. It did all happen so fast. Poor Nicole…

"Thank You!" She exclaims as she hugs me. Wow, how many hugs could one guy get in such a short period of time?

"Wait, what? You're thanking me? I thought you were mad at me?"

"Of course not. Harvey left me for another girl and you put him in his place. Why would I be mad at you?" She says, smiling.

"Anyway, I just wanted to say that Violet is a really lucky girl. When I'd seen you in school I always thought you were a great guy, but for all the wrong reasons. I thought you were the cool, bad boy type. I guess you really are caring after all."

Not really what I like to hear, but I'll take it as a compliment.

"Well, you'd best be on your way now. I think you should go talk to Violet. She's in pretty bad shape right now." Nicole adds. She is quite the talker.

"Yeah, I was actually headed to her room when I ran into you."

"Well, don't waste your time. She isn't in her room. I saw her a few minutes ago at the ship's bow."

"Oh… what's a bow?"

"Wow, guess one thing hasn't changed. You're still not the smartest student on the boat. Haha."

"Just tell me."

"It's the front of the ship. Duhhhhh." She says sarcastically.

First she's nice to me and now she's smart? Sure she's sarcastic, but still. This girl is just full of surprises.

I stand up and begin to walk away.

"Pfffft, no need to thank me." Nicole continues her sarcasm.

"Okay then. I won't." I laugh back at her.

* * *

As I make my way to the front peak of the ship I see Violet in the distance, staring at the ocean. 'This is it. Time to set things straight once and for all' I tell myself, mustering up all the courage inside me. This talk will probably be one of the hardest things I will have to face; harder than even facing Harvey. The one thing I can't stand is talking about my feelings with others. It's tough for me and I know that I am going to have to if I want to set things straight.

I stop myself about a foot behind her, and take a deep breath. Violet leans her head backward to see who is breathing. Almost as soon as she realizes it is me, she turns her head back and rests it on the pole in front of her.

"What do you want?" She says in a rather upset tone.

"Violet… I'm sorry. I really didn't mean to go as far as I had."

"I heard that you were knocked out when Cody found you… did something happen?"

"Well… Harvey faked his injuries. He said he pretended to look helpless to turn you against me. Then I was too scared to fight back because I thought you wouldn't approve. In the end, Luke helped me regain my confidence and fight back. I even got this battle wound to prove it." I say as I lift up my bangs, revealing a giant lump on my head.

"Oh no, are you okay? Let's go get you some ice!"

"Uhhhhh… you care about me?"

Violet takes a deep breath and regains her senses.

"Zack… I still love you. A mistake on your part didn't change that. You just startled me is all. I was just scared you lost control of yourself and might start hurting me back there…"

"I would never hurt you Violet. I was just trying to protect you. And Harvey made me really mad. When I saw him all over you I just snapped. I would never have done anything to you though."

I begin to stare at the floor. I can't believe I scared my own girlfriend.

"It's okay, I forgive you." Violet tears up as she hugs me. I've been getting hugs all day, but this is definitely the most important hug to me. It wasn't just a regular hug. This hug felt more powerful than the rest because it symbolized the rebirth of our love.

"Oh, and one more thing." Violet says as she brings her lips to my ear.

"Thank you for caring about me. I love you." She whispers in my ear.

"I love you too." I say, as cheesy as it sounds. Violet, however, finds my words to be the proper ones for this situation as she goes in for a kiss. This is it.

I close my eyes as we begin to kiss. This kiss lasts a lot longer than the other kiss we had a few hours ago and feels a whole lot better too. Our first kiss was simply meant to be romantic. This kiss, however, is completely based on our love for each other.

* * *

After our love is rekindled, we head back to Cody's room to talk the night away. We even bring Nicole and Becky to join the fun. It may not have been the prom I wanted, but how could I complain? Everyone is safe and healthy and my relationship with Violet has become even stronger than ever before.

* * *

It's been a few days since our prom night. The last day of High School is almost here and I have been spending every waking second with those who love me. Luke is always dying to have some "guy time" with me, Violet is by far the best girlfriend in the whole world, and Cody is the best brother a guy could ask for. He supports my relationship as I do his.

After the prom night situation, I have become a lot more accepting of my brother's sexuality. In fact, I let Luke tell me about their love life which I hadn't ever allowed before. On occasion I even make fun of Cody when Luke tells about his "Cody moments". You know what I mean. Those moments where he makes himself look like a total goof. For instance, one time he was staring so intently at Luke that his elbow, which was supporting his head, slipped off the table and his head dove right into the table. Haha, he's such a loser some times.

As for Harvey, after that whole incident his mother took him out of the school. Who knew he had a concerned mother? I almost got detention from the fight, but since Nicole and Cody are two of the top students in school, their explanations of the scenario got me off the hook.

So with Harvey out of sight, my girlfriend totally into me, my brother back to his usual self, and my best friend looking out for me, this last month of high school has been absolutely amazing. I couldn't ask for a better life.

* * *

_I made the final chapter MUCH longer than the other chapters since I had a couple of things I wanted to cover in it. I hope you enjoyed this story!_

_Please include your opinion of this story as a whole in your review for this chapter! I am extremely grateful to my readers and I want to know what you thought of this story._

_Stay tuned for one last chapter in this story. It will be a short preview of "Dying For Love (The Luke Version)". This time we will be in the mind of Luke. Be aware that this next story will be rated M, so read it with that in mind. I will be keeping the preview T rated though since it will be a part of this story. Until then... _^_^_  
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	14. Prologue of AntiLove

Chapter 14 – Prologue of Anti-Love

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"Luke, honey. Hurry! The boat is going to leave without you." My frantic mother insists.

Today is the first day at a new school for me. I was taken out of my old school because my peers harassed me. They weren't very tolerant of my sexuality. Yes, I'm gay, but that doesn't mean I can't control myself. I've learned my lesson though. This time around, I'll keep my sexuality a secret.

I run out of the car as my mom yells her goodbyes to me in the background. It's time to start my life over, and what better place to do that than on a boat?

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"Ahhh you must be the new student. Perfect timing. My name is Marian Moseby." A rather petite man calls to me.

"We just recently had a drop out and a spot became available for one male passenger."

"Cool. Can you bring me to my room then?"

"Follow me. Right this way." Moseby adds.

"Am I going to get a room to myself?" I ask, hoping that will be the case.

"No. Each student has one roommate of the same gender. Those are the rules."

I hope the people on this boat are at least exciting. Otherwise, I'd settle for home over being stranded with a bunch of losers.

As we walk toward my room, we walk past a pair of kids. One of them is a boy with bushy black hair and glasses. He's also kind of chubby. The other is a boy with long blond hair. This one is rather cute if you ask me.

"Look at what I found Woody." The blond tells the other boy who is apparently named Woody.

"Ooooo Can I eat it?" Woody asks his blond friend.

"No. It's a plankton specimen. I'm going back to our room to look at it under my microscope."

Yuck! That kids a nerd. What a loser. I thought he was cute, but I guess looks can be deceiving.

"Uhhh Moseby, who is my roommate?" I ask, praying with each word it isn't going to be a loser like the duo I just witnessed.

"Well, let's just say that he is probably going to be the worst part of your experience on this boat. How should I put this… ahhhh do you see that kid over there." Moseby says as he points to the blond nerd.

Just great. Is that loser going to be my roommate? He's the last person I'd want to room with.

"Yeah, I see him. Am I going to have to room with him?" I say, quite irritated at the thought of it.

"No, even worse than him. You'll be rooming with his twin brother!"

Even worse? That doesn't sound very good. Is he an even bigger loser? At least if they're twins the other one will be cute too, but I am keeping my sexuality a secret so that is the less important of the criteria.

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I make my way to my room and swing open the door. I glance over at my roommate who is laying on his bed. I simply roll my eyes and turn away from him as I place my luggage on the ground.

"Hey dude! You must be my new roommate." My new roommate exclaims as he leaps off of his bed, revealing headphones are in his ears.

I quickly throw my head in his direction. Did he just call me dude?

"Uhhh hi. I'm Luke…"

"Cool. The name's Zack. Wanna hit the game room with me?"

Zack… he's not the nerd I'd thought he would be. I guess twins don't have to be similar in interests. In fact, he's cute and exciting. I can already tell. Hehehehe guess I'll have some experimenting to do before I go for it, but rest assured, Zack will be mine before this last year of High School is over.

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_This preview might come off as a major shock, but when chapter one comes out, you'll have more of an idea of how the Luke in chapter one is the same as this Luke! Hope you enjoyed this sneak preview. Just a little heads up, chapter one will be skipping to the same time frame as chapter one in this story! If you want to enjoy "The Luke Version" as much as possible, I highly recommend reading it alongside this version so you can compare the two._

_Because I will be gone for a while, expect "Dying For Love (The Luke Version)" to begin mid-August. Sorry for the wait, but since I will be going away my present to you guys was all the quick uploads I have been doing this week. Hope you enjoyed this story and please continue reading!  
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